Waiting to Be Remembered
by firedragongirl
Summary: ImperialPair-Tezuka slowly opened his eyes, blinking to try to get his vision into focus but never able to manage until Atobe placed the glasses on him. "You've finally woken up, aahn? You should know how Ore-sama hates waiting." "Who...are you?" "Nani?"
1. Careless

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. The name of Atobe's cat was made up by my friend.

* * *

"Kayla-chan! Oi! Kayla-chan!" The voice of the narcissist rang throughout the mansion as he called out the name of his beloved friend. Sighing, he supposed that the black cat had wandered outside of the mansion and was roaming around. Shaking his head in disapproval at her disappearance, Atobe Keigo decided to go for a walk in search of her. It wasn't usual for him to go on those kinds of walks, but it was to look for Kayla-chan, so he didn't mind. The only reason he knew that his friend wasn't in the mansion was because if she was inside when he called, she would always come to him. Flipping his hair in an elegant manner and winking to himself as he walked past a mirror that was hanging on the wall in the large hallway, he grabbed his Hyotei uniform jacket and tennis bag at the front door and left. Not wanting to go back home after finding Kayla-chan, he decided that he would see if there was anything at that shabby tennis courts where he had seen the Seigaku tennis players once, along with the tennis players of Fudoumine. He was bored, and crushing people in tennis was always something that could occupy him.

Striding out the door, he headed straight towards the park, the place the black female cat would most likely be. Thinking about it, Kayla-chan was probably as bored as he was stuck in the mansion with nothing interesting to do and with little to no entertainment. Both Atobe and Kayla-chan were spoiled and only given the best quality of objects and service, where everything else wasn't good enough or not worth having. The silver-haired male received Kayla-chan as a Christmas present around three years back when he first started entering Hyotei Gakuen. His parents who were close to never being around because they worked overseas, had decided to give their son a companion so he wouldn't be lonely within the house. Of course, the cat was only a purebred and very housetrained, else they wouldn't have bought him a pet in the first place. Keigo and his parents weren't close at all, and mostly, the only reason why they had done that was to be able to brag about their son that was to take over the country when they were no longer able to themselves. But what they didn't know was that Keigo and Kayla-chan had gotten along quickly and that they were now the best of friends that a human and animal could be.

And so it wasn't a surprise that Atobe Keigo let his superior demeanor disappear to be replaced with a genuine smile as he saw the black cat exit the gate to the park. "Ah, Kayla-chan," he called, walking towards his friend. Kayla-chan spotted her companion and mewled in delight as she calmly strolled over to the silver-haired male. Shrugging his tennis bag off his shoulder and placing it on the ground as he squatted, the Hyotei captain reached his hand out and patted Kayla-chan on the head as she drew close enough. "I'm heading to the tennis courts. You haven't seen me play, have you," he stated instead of making it a question. The black cat seemed to meow in response. "I thought so." Patting his right shoulder, Kayla-chan received the messaged and hopped on, sitting there comfortably and with absolutely balance. Picking up his tennis bag and slipping it on his other shoulder once more, he stood and continued walking toward the street tennis courts, knowing little of the trouble that was happening and of the trouble that he would have to face upon his arrival.

* * *

"40-Love." Standing at the base line, bouncing the ball once, twice, three times, the bespectacled figure prepared to serve. The score was 6-0, 5-0. Set point. The mediocre tennis player at the other side of the court stood, awaiting his impending loss against the captain of Seishun Gakuen. Hands clenched tightly around the handle of his tennis racket and sweat dripping down the sides of his forehead, he made a faint growling sound from his throat as Tezuka Kunimitsu tossed the tennis ball up in the air. The guy had no chance to return the serve. "That's game." The tall black-haired male that was Tezuka's opponent gritted his teeth together as he stood there, watching the brunette walk towards the net for the sportsmanship handshake that occurred after a match. He glared intensely, a great rage passing through him. He hated the demeanor of the guy. The way he held himself. The whole impression he received from Tezuka was that the guy was some arrogant tennis player that took too much pride in his abilities. He didn't know Tezuka except for the fact that he was left handed and really good at tennis. And really, he didn't care.

As the loser approached the net, Seigaku's captain placed the tennis racket that was in his right hand under his left arm, and held out his now free hand over the net for the handshake. The black-haired male saw this and was even more angered by the fact that the bastard hadn't used his dominant hand for the play. And he lost with such a pathetic score as well. Even though the bespectacled one was quiet, he wrongly assumed that the other must've been laughing and gloating inside at how easy the match was and how stupid he was for probably thinking he was right-handed. As Tezuka's opponent reached the net, the captain opened his mouth to begin saying 'Good game', but he was unable to for his hand was slapped away. Following the trail of his hand as it was hit away, he dropped it to his side, knowing that a handshake was probably no use at that point and looked up to see the black-haired male with racket brought back menacingly, preparing to strike.

Tezuka didn't have the chance to block or dodge as the edge of the racket slammed against the side of his head, the force making him face to the side, his glasses falling away from him, and causing him to fall into a deep state of unconsciousness. The sore loser had run as soon as brunette's body hit the floor. Thin trails of blood from where the racket made contact with his skull ran down Tezuka's face. And he couldn't hear the call of his name as one of his rivals started running toward him with concern that had never shown in his expressions except when his dear black cat went missing for the first time.

"TEZUKA!!"


	2. Found

Author's Note: Ah. Sumanai. I haven't really had the urge to continue this. I have this mindset that if I want to create a chapter, it needs to be at least one thousand words long. I've been quite hesitant on creating a next chapter because of this goal that I have set up for myself, but if I ever wish to surpass it, I must try. And thus, this next chapter. Of course, I'll have to word count it without this author's note included. I do hope you all enjoy my work. I haven't done this in a while, and I am bored. And I do wish there were more Imperial Pair stories with Tezuka as uke. But sometimes, if something isn't done, you must do it yourself. Thank you for reading, and please, enjoy. I apologize for any mistakes. I am human.

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The silver haired male had reached the steps and had ignored the figure in a rush running down the steps. A panicked expression played upon that individual's expression, but Atobe Keigo could care less about the worries and sorrows of someone that didn't concern him. So he shrugged it off. Kayla hissed lightly threw her teeth at the gesture because even though she kept perfect balance on his shoulder, it was annoying. The black cat had a personality of her own, and at times could be very humanlike. She was one of those pets that if you talked, she seemed to listen and understand. If she could talk, it seemed likely to say something back. And now, even if she couldn't, she'd give some sort of response that would easily portray her opinion and what was being said. When he was stressed or frustrated or just needed someone to talk to when Kabaji wasn't there, she would be the one to turn to. "Alright, alright, sorry," he apologized halfheartedly, giving her an annoyed look. "But if you don't like it, just get off. You think Ore-sama's shoulder is your personal resting place? Ahn?" The black cat replied by lifting a front paw and showing off her claws. A threat. Atobe's eye twitched lightly. "Okay, Ore-sama gets it. Put those away before Ore-sama throws you off." He sighed. _Darn cat. If I didn't know any better, she controls me more than I can control her._ And being Atobe Keigo, that was something he was definitely not going to admit to anyone or anybody out loud. Putting those thoughts aside, he continued up the steps. Now that he thought about it, the guy that had passed him seemed to have lost a tennis match. Perhaps there was actually someone worthwhile to battle against. And if not, then perhaps he could just use his boredom crushing the dreams of some mediocre tennis player. He smirked to himself. _Ore-sama no bigi ni… yoina._

He continued his ascent, a new confidence about him. He was ready to crush whoever it was that awaited him at the top of those steps. He felt that he was ready for anything. But what reached his sight when he took that last step…

He wasn't ready.

His gray/purple eyes widened slightly. The glasses, strewn slightly away from the figure that lay on the floor. The mass of messy brown locks. And the most noticeable feature. The **Seishun Gakuen **uniform.

Atobe felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He could feel his heart beating painfully loud in his ears. _Tezuka…_ His whole body had started to tremble. _Tezuka…_ Kayla jumped off her perch and landed gently on the floor, the silver haired male not realizing. _Tezuka…_ There was **blood**. He didn't notice when his body reacted. Suddenly, the figure of the brunette was coming closer and closer.

"TEZUKAAA!!"

He fell to his knees, not caring if his pants got dirty. He held the younger boy in his arms, not caring if his shirt grew bloody. He inspected the source of the bleeding. The head. He had been struck by something. Acting quickly, he dropped his tennis bag and took out a towel, placing it where the brunette's wound was and putting pressure on it. The towel turned from pure white to an ugly crimson color. He growled lightly under his breath. He didn't have time for this. The Seigaku tennis captain didn't have a lot of time left, but he was still alive. Atobe knew from his labored breathing. But if he continued to bleed, then it might be too late. Leaning the boy against his chest, Atobe kept the towel placed against the other's head and with his other hand, took out one of his five cell phones and speed-dialed for his chauffeur. There wasn't even a ring on his end when the phone was picked up, and he spoke quickly with a commanding voice. "Park. Now. Emergency. We're heading for the hospital right afterwards." He clicked the phone off and threw it and the now bloodstained towel into his bag. Lifting the younger boy into his arms, he ran as fast as he possibly could, leaving his bag there. Carrying it would only hold him down, and losing anything there was nothing compared to losing his destined rival. And if he would admit it, someone that wasn't on his team that was a **friend**.

He ran down the steps with Kayla following right behind. She had been following all along, and even though she had never seen the brunette before, she worried for him. Because she knew that he was someone that was of importance to her master. She could feel the worry and concern radiating from the silver haired male, and something that struck her was that he was showing it in his expressions. Freely. In public. It wasn't normally something he would do. She knew. Whether he told her or not. But that was how her relationship was with Atobe. She skipped a few steps, just as he did when running down the stairs, in order to keep up. Three fourths of the way down, the sounds of an ambulance could be heard. But when the vehicle which had the emergency lights and sounds came, it was no ambulance vehicle. It was a sleek white limousine instead. A small one, but a limousine none the less. When he jumped the last of the steps and touched ground, he threw open the doors. Kayla quickly hopped in first without wasting any time and perched herself on the far seat inwardly as not to block her master from entering with the figure in his arms. Atobe quickly got in, and slammed the door. Not bother to put on his seatbelt, he commanded, "Drive." And his chauffeur instantly obeyed. The tires screeched against the road and everyone in the car jerked back from the sudden start but no one minding or caring. The Hyoutei captain just held the brunette close. One thought in his mind. _Tezuka…_

…_you idiot._


	3. Waiting

Author's Note: I have no idea what's going to happen in this chapter, since I will actually be doing this without any sort of planning. I don't know if it will be any good, and this is the reason why I am warning you all beforehand. Sumanai.

* * *

The ring of the siren pounded loudly in his ears along with the loudness of his own beating heart as he held the younger male against his chest. The life of the city and the traffic passed by on the other side of the darkly tinted windows that could only be seen through from the inside of the vehicle. But the silver haired male did not focus on anyone or anything else besides the figure that lay in his arms. The ride towards the hospital felt long even though it only took around a minute. Yet, each of those precious seconds within that minute were wasted and could be vital to the brunette's condition. Atobe closed his eyes and sighed deeply, in frustration. His black cat watched from her curled up lying position on the seat furthest from him, her golden eyes glowing with concern and wonder. Her ears were perked up, her own hearing ignoring the unnecessary noise of the world outside the limousine. The cat seemed to have possessed her own type of insight, used in the same way as her owner used his. But instead of seeing weaknesses in physical features or sports, her insight could be used to look deeply into a person's **emotions**. What she was seeing as she watched her master... there was something else. She knew there was more he was feeling towards the other human than concern and friendship. It didn't show. And it didn't seem like the Hyoutei King even realized it himself. But she **knew**. And being a loyal friend to the silver haired male, she was going to help as much as she could. But first thing was first. The stranger needed to be healed.

The tires of the limousine screeched as it made a hasty stop in front of a tall white building. The hospital. The force brought the black cat and the King out of their thoughts. The force had made Kayla fly forward from her seat, but being intelligent, she had expected something as such to happen and was fully prepared. She maneuvered in midair and had aimed her legs towards the black glass screen that the seats faced and had landed on her paws against it, naturally absorbing the force, and reusing it to bounce back towards her seat safely and soundly. Atobe handled it by placing his foot against the screen and using his own strength to prevent himself and the younger boy from injury (and further injury) from slamming into the black glass screen. There was a click and the voice of the driver could be distinguished from the intercom on the inside of both doors, paced near the handles. "_Keigo-bocchama, we have a—_ "

Before the chauffeur had finished speaking, Atobe had already forced the door open and had run out while carrying the injured in his arms. After rudely pushing passed some slow, yet healthy, bystanders that were blocking the hospital entrance, he finally barged in. Stopping and panting at right in front of the doors, everyone within turned to look his way, disrupted with what they were doing to stare at the stranger. His eyes were covered by the bangs of silver hair, but after he had lifted his head for all to see, they saw a glimpse of growing anger and irritation and a sense of immediacy. One second. They had stared one second. That one second of waiting was enough to throw him off. What came from the Hyoutei King's mouth was a strict command which left no room to be disobeyed. For others, it could be said to be a growl. But for the people that worked in the hospital, it was just what they needed to snap out of their useless state.

"MOVE IT!"

The effect was immediate. Nurses came with a stretcher and after placing the younger boy onto it, the devices that were rolled along with the stretcher were attached to him. When they made a dash towards the ICU, Atobe was right alongside them, his eyes never leaving Tezuka's face, his hand never losing its grasp on Tezuka's hand. And he remembered _that match_.

It hadn't been the first time that they had seen each other. No. They had seen each other on many occasions, during the previous tournaments. But that was just the first time they had seen each other on the other side of the court. It was the first time they had played against each other. It was that day. It was that day where Atobe's thoughts on Tezuka had a drastic change. Who knew…? _Who knew… that I would think about someone else just as much as I thought about myself…? Maybe even more…?_

_Quiet. Calm. Collecting. And with an overflowing confidence in your team. In reaching the nationals. I wanted to crush that confidence, and in order to do that, I had aimed to destroy your arm. I wanted to see you crumble. And I wanted to see you kneel before me like all the others which had that same overflowing confidence. I wanted you to turn into nothing before my very eyes. I destroyed your arm. You kneeled before me. You knew that it was going to happen, too. But you fought anyway. And even though I somewhat expected it, I was still surprised. You fought me head on. And suddenly…the times had turned. And __**you**__ had challenged __**me**__. Imagine. In a time where __**I**__ had been the one in control. Or were you the one that had made it seem like that? You were up. And even though your expressions never showed on your face, I could see the hope in your eyes. It was with that "one more point"… it was in that moment that I actually __**doubted**__ myself. But it was then that I had seen that change of expression on your face. And even though it was what I had wanted all along… __I wasn't satisfied.__ Nor was I the least bit happy about what had happened. Your challenge. I wasn't sure what you were trying to prove. I just knew that… I didn't want our match to end there. And then…_

_And then you came back. Even though your injury was something that normal people wouldn't be able to handle by itself, let alone while playing in a match, you continued to play anyway. The pain… it didn't show in your expression. But I knew it was there. And I knew that it was probably unbearable. But you bared with the pain anyway. And even though your serves were affected, your play… Your play was just as if nothing was wrong. And again I wondered… where did you confidence come from? Where did your __**strength**__ come from to be able to play in such a situation? Where did this reckless side of you come from? Ahn? Tezuka? I thought I had you figured out. But since that match, you had proven me wrong not once, but __**twice**__. And you had surprised me time and time again. Also, by the end of the game, you had also made me doubt myself __**twice**__. It was unbelievable. But it had happened. The match was over. Yet, I still wasn't satisfied. I lifted your hand and stated that it was the best match. It was. But it was a match I didn't feel like I had won. No… it felt unfinished. So now, this is what I explain to myself as the reason why I chase after you. Ha! Ore-sama chasing after someone… It's unheard of. But Tezuka… you've made me do a lot of unheard of things. And it makes me wonder…_

…_if this is the only reason why I chase after you. So that's why I need you to get better. How long will I have to wait for the score to be settled in our battle? I hate waiting. But I guess for you, I'll make an exception. What's ironic is that this probably isn't even the first. What you do to me, Tezuka… And you don't seem to even realize it. Get better, Tezuka. Ore-sama will wait for you._

…_**I**__ will wait for you. Just know…_

…_that I __**hate**__ waiting._

The silver haired male was rushed back into reality as Tezuka was wheeled through the doors of the ICU. Atobe had let go of the brunette's hand. But right now, he was being blocked by one of the nurses from entering. He glared, eyes glinting dangerously. Something akin to a low growl in his throat. "Out of my way, girl," he barked, his hands tightly fisted at his sides as he made his way around her. The nurse intercepted him.

"You can't." She spoke calmly, yet her body trembled under his stare. She seemed to shrink under his gaze. "You're not allo—"

"Who are you to tell Ore-sama what to do. Ahn?" He countered, cutting her off. "_No one_ tells Ore-sama what to do." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he pushed her aside, reaching out his other hand to open the doors.

"You'll kill him." His hand froze midair. "All the germs from outside. He needs to be kept in a sanitary environ—"

"Are you calling Ore-sama unsanitary?" He glared at her once more, though he let his arms drop to his sides. He sighed in defeat. The girl had a point. He wanted to go in to see Tezuka, but he couldn't do that if it'd hinder the boy's recovery. "Fine." He turned and started walking off. "Show me towards your waiting room." He lifted the hand that had just held the brunette's. It felt right, those calloused fingers in contact with his unmarred ones. Stopping, he looked a little bit longer before huffing and placing his hands in his pants pockets. Seeing straight ahead, he spoke once more. "Oi. Are you going to show Ore-sama to the waiting room or not?"

"O-oh! Y-yes, right away, Sir!"

Sigh…

_How I really hate waiting…_

_

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_

Author's Note: I apologize once more. Things may become repetitive, and I definitely made up the things that Atobe thinks. If there is anything you would like to enlighten me about, please feel free.


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